Chapter 182: Running Away [4]

Flash!

Damien's eyes suddenly became clouded for a moment after he had the thought. It only lasted for a brief second, but when he came to he felt that he had comprehended something good.

It was nothing but a spark of insight, but just from that he knew he was moving in the right direction.

'Soon. I'll have that power soon.'

Damien opened his eyes, unaware of when he had even closed them in the first place, and slowly took in his surroundings.

Although it was still nighttime, the moon was no longer high in the sky, already on its way to setting. Looking down, he noticed that Ruyue was still on his chest even after so long.

"Hey, I think it's time we leave now." He said softly, but he got no response. After poking her cheeks a few times, he realized that she was probably asleep.

"Sigh, how troublesome." Even while muttering it, he had a smile on her face. He lightly picked her up, using his space element to shift her body so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable, before princess carrying her out of the forest.

The cool wind brushed through his hair and caressed his face as he ran, with the sounds of bushes and trees rustling acting as his background music. In this calm atmosphere, he finally made it out of the forest, where the panther beast had been waiting for them.

It was a beast they had gotten from Tian Yang, so it was naturally tamed. They didn't have to worry about losing it while they went off and did other things.

He mounted the beast as gently as he could before ordering it to set off, Ruyue still asleep in his arms.

He couldn't blame her though. She had experienced a good amount of emotional stress in the past day, making her this exhausted.

With the story she had told him, Damien was aware that she had never truly confronted her problems like this, nor had they blown up in her face.

It was a new experience for her, and the whole thing overloaded her. Truthfully, Damien would have been the same if he didn't have his personality.

While he would run away from his problems just as much as she did, he would always find himself introspecting and trying to find ways to combat those problems before pushing them away again.

It was an unhealthy cycle, but at least it prepared him for situations like this one, making it so he didn't end up with the same fatigue she did.

But the past day was annoying for him too. Seeing innocent kids get slaughtered...regardless of how cold his heart was, it wasn't something he could simply accept.

It didn't matter how many adults died. That was something they decided for themselves. They made the decisions that led to that death.

But it was different for kids. Damien made a vow to himself. A vow that no matter what he did, he would never intentionally harm a child.

He closed his eyes and laid down on the beast's wide back, intending to take a bit of rest before they reach their destination. He needed to clear his mind before they got into the truly serious stuff they were about to do.

***

"Mm..."

Ruyue's eyelids fluttered open as bright rays of sunlight entered her vision, disallowing her from getting any more sleep.

Though, she didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she looked around.

There were bright and lush plains around her, with small villages and cities off in the distance. It was clear that they left the forest long ago.

Not to mention the fact that she was moving atop the panther beast they had gotten from Tian Yang before leaving the sect.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and attempted to get rid of the drowsiness she was feeling. 'I haven't had such good sleep in a long time.'

As the events before she passed out entered her memory, a furious blush crept up her face. 'Oh my god. What the hell was I doing?!'

She had both cried and fallen asleep on Damien's chest, making her utterly embarrassed. It wasn't something she had ever done before with another person, let alone a man.

'Is that why I felt like I was sleeping on the most comfortable pillow ever?'

Wait, but if his chest was the comfortable pillow, then why did that sensation continue to the time even minutes before she woke up?

Her head moved robotically as she looked down to see where she was sitting, and in fact, it was as she guessed.

Underneath her, Damien was still fast asleep. Her hands were on his chest as she supported her weight and she was sitting on his stomach, just inches away from...

'Ah! What the hell am I thinking?!'

She wanted to stand up and move away, but there was no space to do so. The panther beast wasn't very large right now and Damien's body was taking up almost all the space on its back.

Ruyue was still in a panic, but what she didn't know was that all her fidgeting had woken up a certain someone.

'Fuck! Why is she moving like that?!' Damien exclaimed inwardly as he tried to suppress himself, still pretending to be asleep.

If she kept moving in such a way, he was afraid that another beast would be awoken, and he didn't want to deal with the shame that would follow that.

Sighing lightly, he slowly opened his eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you stopped moving around so much, dear senior sister." He said teasingly.

Ruyue jumped slightly as her movements once again became robotic. She turned her head towards Damien with wide eyes as she witnessed the mischievous smile on his face.

"G-good morning..." she muttered, her voice low due to embarrassment.

"Mm, good morning," Damien replied as he sat up.

Yet, this movement resulted in another problem. Ruyue, who was sitting on his stomach, slid down and ended up on...another region.

And as she was already facing him, when his upper body was raised, they ended up eye to eye, their faces only inches away from each other.

This time, it was Damien's turn to be surprised. 'How did I even end up in this kind of anime situation?! Do things like this actually happen in real life?'

Meanwhile, Ruyue was frozen in both body and mind. All her senses were focused on a certain beast that had inadvertently awakened due to her sitting position.

When Damien realized this, he averted his gaze, his face tinged with a slight redness.

It had to be known that even with Rose, he had never been in this position. They had cuddled enough that he learned to easily suppress his urges.

But with Ruyue...this kind of sense hadn't been developed in the slightest.

When Ruyue saw Damien's red face, her attention was completely shifted off what was happening with his lower body. She ended up smiling slyly as she watched him.

"I see, I see, so even my cold-hearted Junior brother can make such a face!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Damien responded emotionlessly. But Ruyue, who had a clear view of his face, was able to see how the redness slightly increased.

'I think I'm beginning to understand why he loves to do this to me.'

She continued teasing him, completely forgetting the position they were in at the moment, as the two of them continued their journey.

They were now only a single day away from their destination.